“My name is Brent Felsing, and I used to be a hardcore PlayStation Fanboy.”

They say that admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery. Well, I’m glad I’m on the right path now because, looking back in hindsight, I’m rather embarrassed by how foolish I must have looked acting like a extremist fanboy. It’s important to note that I am by no means writing off the PlayStation brand and replacing it with an Xbox banner to wave around proudly. The reason — and a rather sad one at that — I have to make that clarification is because of two incredibly stupid reasons: 1) The “Console Wars”, and 2) The rude, insecure hate mongers that represent each faction involved. I don’t know exactly when this war started, but as long as it continues in its current fashion, gamers will continue to be laughed at by others, and justifiably so.

This isn’t meant to be a history lesson of the console wars. Anyone that’s dumb enough to actually partake in this “happening” on a daily basis will be more than happy to tell you about why their console is amazing, and why the other one (that they more than likely haven’t spent an inkling of time with yet) is a piece of sh*t. Worse yet, if you try to reason with these nitwits, they will not only give you their version of “the facts” about why their console has a bigger d*ck than yours, but they will also let you know that they had relations with your mother (which apparently provides definitive evidence supporting their console claims I suppose?). They stand atop a mountain and pledge their allegiance to either Sony or Microsoft, even though neither company would want any affiliation whatsoever with these cretins. These extremist can be found on most social networks, attacking people enjoying a particular game that’s not on their favorite console; and they litter the comments sections of most articles on just about any gaming website. The level of hate and hostility towards one another is embarrassingly pronounced and completely unnecessary. Whatever happened to just talking about video games and everything that makes them so special to us as gamers?

"The level of hate and hostility towards one another is embarrassingly pronounced and completely unnecessary. Whatever happened to just talking about video games and everything that makes them so special to us as gamers?
"

The reason this annoys myself and many other gamers, is because this “console war” is seeking to destroy the very foundation on which gaming is built; the foundation of “FUN." Just because there are two heavyweights battling it out to stake their claim atop the gaming supremacy heap every month, this doesn’t mean that gamers are automatically pitted against one another simply because they have a preference of one console over the other. Since purchasing the Xbox One and a Wii U to round out my gaming room, I’ve been able to enjoy the positives (and endure the weaknesses) of all three consoles. However, despite said weaknesses, I’ve enjoyed most of the games I’ve played on all three. I had a blast playing Ryse on the Xbox One, despite it’s critical panning. I found Knack on PlayStation 4 to be more challenging than most launch games, while others found it rather soulless. I’ve spent plenty of time trying to achieve the highest star rating for each level in Super Mario World 3D, and I’ve racked up over 12 hours (not much compared to most of you!) of Titanfall multiplayer goodness. We should be enjoying all the games these consoles have to offer; not worrying about which console is cheaper or the weakest of the bunch. That isn’t the point of gaming.

Now based on my past experiences with these imbecile fanboys, I’m sure I will be told that I’m a moron because:

A. “Why would anyone pay $400 for the PlayStation Bore, when all they have are indie games? Stupid Pony!”

B. “You paid $500 for the Xbox One, when it’s not nearly as powerful as the PS4? Enjoy your 720p, you stupid Xbot!” or

C. “You actually paid money for a Wii U?”

"We should be enjoying all the games these consoles have to offer; not worrying about which console is cheaper or the weakest of the bunch. That isn’t the point of gaming.
"

If there is one common theme amongst all those responses, it’s that people like to address the fact that you paid for one of these consoles (or in my case, all three). Now before I continue, I am just your typical middle class blue-collar worker with a mortgage, two cars, and a one-year-old son. I can’t just go out and buy anything I want, when I want. I traded in a ton of games to pay off my PlayStation 4, while planning and budgeting allowed me to purchase an Xbox One and a Wii U. However, it’s my opinion that most of this hostility is fueled by those desperate to justify their purchase. Whether they only had the means to buy one console or for other reasons unknown, the fact is no one wants to admit their system has issues; no one wants to make these claims as it would make them feel (and look) foolish for making said purchase. Insecurity will drive people mad, and it’s never been more prevalent than it is today when you look at the comments that these extremists are making.

If a system's specs being debated in a childish manner wasn’t stupid enough, how about the arguments that stem from the monthly NPD report declaring which console sold the most units? Really? Instead of playing games, we’re trash-talking about the monthly NPD report? Unless you work for one of the developers or are a shareholder for a publisher, how in the hell does Game X outselling Game Y affect you in any way? Once again, it comes down to people needing to feel good about buying a game that everyone else is praising and buying. This is just another stupid example of how insecure gamers look to most other people.

"Insecurity will drive people mad, and it’s never been more prevalent than it is today when you look at the comments that these extremists are making.
"

If the above sounds stupid to you, that’s because it is — and we have only ourselves to blame. One other thing that annoys me, and is an indictment of how far off gamers are from being taken serious, is the bashing of games on other consoles without even playing them. If you don’t own that system, or have never played a particular game or series of games, the ONLY criticism you can make is that it just doesn’t appeal to you. That’s it! You can’t say, “that game is boring” or “that game is terrible”, because you have no clue; you don’t have the experience to make that claim. Watching someone else play a game is a completely different experience than actually playing the game and becoming immersed with what’s happening on screen. Anyone with a brain knows that, and when they see these hoards of degenerates ripping on a game they have never played a second of, they automatically lump them in with gamers in general and label us nothing more than immature juveniles, an image we’ve been trying to shake for decades! Talk about counterproductive.

"One other thing that annoys me, and is an indictment of how far off gamers are from being taken serious, is the bashing of games on other consoles without even playing them.
"

If it sounds like I’m pretty agitated writing this article, it’s because I hate seeing gamers fighting amongst themselves. We need Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo to keep trying to out do one another, if only because we reap the benefits from it in the form of better content every year. As long as they keep pumping out new IP’s and quality sequels to successful franchises, we as gamers will always have something awesome to play. It doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor, black or white, male or female, or cat or dog. When it comes to gaming, it’s all about having fun and sharing those experiences with others; laughing together, achieving victory together, having fun together. Publishers don’t care about the console wars; their job is to sell as many consoles as possible. Developers don’t care about the console wars; their job is to sell as much software as possible. The only people that care about the console wars are the same people that can end the console wars. Let's quit with all this bullying and stop treating each other like sh*t, because the only thing we are really doing is damaging the reputation of gamers in general. Even though these extremists represent a small minority of each consoles fan base, they are unfortunately the loudest. We need real gamers to stand up and ignore these idiots, don’t respond to them, and don’t give them the time of day. Block them from Twitter, tag them as spam in forums, and report them to mods. Until we move forward as a united front, we will forever be looked down upon as nothing more than insecure fools.